lettuce /salad leaves

mardatha

This is going to sound really mad ..but I can't grow lettuce. I have tried for 2 summers and the horrible things go all limp, faint and die. How do you grow lettuce ? Where and what in ? I honestly tried loads of them, in pots and in the garden !

alicebluegown

Are you trying to grow from seed, or with seedlings?

If from seed they need to be kept warm and damp to germinate (cover with polythene bag if indoors), then let them grow (warm condtitions & keep the soil moist) until you thin them out - they'll go limp when you move them but soon pick up again

robnye

i would hazard a guess that if they are going limp its cos they got fried by the sun!

keep the soil moist and slightly shaded,

mardatha

I tried from seed and as plants. That must have been the two days we got sun in the last two years then eh.. I can't shade them if they're outside, so maybe pots then ? and move them if need be.. Ok TY!

Grebe

Secret of lettuce is slight shade and lots of water, my garden gets way too much direct sun so I stick in a few canes and on really sunny days drape a fleece ( the kind you get to keep frost off) over, like a wee tent. I leave the sides up to let air circulate to keep them cool. Other than that and keeping the slugs :mad: away that's all I do.

foxgloves

If you find you just can't succeed with growing whole lettuces, you could maybe try one of the saladini mixes where you don't bother thinning the seedlings out but just sprinkle the seed, let them get to baby leaf stage then cut as you need like cress. You can get a few cuts each time, but the secret is that when you start cutting the first tray, get the next lot of seed sown in the next one. Thompson & Morgan do a packet called 'Speedy mix'. Haven't tried this particular mixture but looks good & the result is the assorted fancy baby leaves which cost a fortune in their gas filled plastic bags from the supermarket!

mardatha

Grebe ty, brilliant. I'll do that . We dont like those leafy things foxgloves, we need crunchy lettuce !

Grebe

Good luck babe, now't tastes better than home grown:D Remember to re-sow as you go the growing season is way longer than you think. Personally I love the luxury of going out and cutting just for my lunch a very young lettuce just for me:D

mardatha

One more thing - when would you start sowing seeds indoors - on a south facing windowsill - ?

Grebe

Depends what seeds you are sowing.
If it's lettuce they can be sown and grown indoors all year round as long as they have plenty of light and warmth. If you are sowing them indoors to be planted out in the spring then now is the time to do it but remember they hate to be transplanted so treat them carefully when you come to plant outside. To grow them well outside it is best if you wait till around the first week of March ( dependng where you live) and sow the seed where you want them to grow.
To be honest I have been known to just chuck them in when I feel like it, and as long as you are not fussy looking for the "perfect" lettuce you will get a fair crop. There are ton's of new fast growing one out now.

conradmum

Try growing mizuna. Easy, tasty and expensive in the supermarkets!